Browns lock in safety Grant Delpit with three-year, $48M extension

Safety Grant Delpit has agreed to a three-year, $48 million extension with the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN, securing a core defensive piece as the team enters training camp following a months-long roster overhaul.

Delpit's deal includes $35 million guaranteed and was negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. The extension marks the second secondary retention for Cleveland in two days: cornerback Denzel Ward agreed to a two-year, $62.2 million extension on Tuesday that includes $52.3 million guaranteed, per ESPN. Ward's $31.1 million annual average value makes him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history for the second time in his career.

Delpit, who turns 28 in September, was entering the final year of a three-year, $36 million extension he signed in 2023 with no remaining guaranteed salary. According to ESPN, Delpit and Ward are the team's two remaining longest-tenured players. Both deals signal the Browns' commitment to retain their secondary core even as the organization dealt defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in June.

The safety ranked fourth on the Browns in tackles last season with 89, added 3 sacks and recorded an interception, per ESPN. Over five NFL seasons, Delpit carries seven interceptions, 21 passes defended, 6.5 sacks and 451 tackles, according to the reporting. He was selected No. 44 overall in the 2020 draft.

The open questions around the extension include the year-by-year breakdown of the $48 million contract value, any void years or offset clauses, and how the deal affects Cleveland's salary cap flexibility as the team continues its rebuild.